Turkey AH 1187(1) kurush KM-368
The first specimen was lot 75808 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $336. The catalog description[1] noted, "TURKEY. Ottoman Empire. Kurush (Piastre), AH 1187 Year 1 (1774/5). Istanbul (Constantinople) Mint. Abdulhamid I. PCGS MS-62. A supremely elegant and enchanting crown, this example offers a well centered and executed strike." The second specimen was lot 1808 in Steve Album Auction 52 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2025), where it sold for $90. The catalog description[2] noted, "TURKEY: Abdul Hamid I, 1774-1789, BI piastre, AH1187 year 1, mild flan porosity, crude edges, first toughra, one-year type, lightly toned, Choice XF, R." Turkish issues before the reform of 1839 are a mess of constantly changing denominations as the government attempted to debase its way out of perpetual bankruptcy. This type was struck years 1-19.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 17.6-19.4 g, billon, the second specimen 18.81 g.
Catalog reference: KM-368, Cr-59.5, JS-2411, NP-675.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Uslu, Kaan, Beyazit, M. Fatih, and Kara, Tuncay, Ottoman Empire Coins, Istanbul: Mas Matbaacilik A.S., 2007.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
- [2]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Dustin Wagner, Auction 52, featuring the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection and the Almer H. Orr III Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2025.
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